The work done by our God

January 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Photo: 16 year old Darlene Etienne was pulled from rubble 15 days after quake in Haiti. Doctors are amazed she is alive. She’s eating yogurt, talking, and regaining strength. Her mother said she is alive because God hears a mother’s non-stop prayers.  Darlene is being cared for at an offshore French hospital ship. (Fox news)

From Ray yesterday, here is the latest update in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti:

“Did not get to treat many patients today. Spent most of the morning running around Haiti with a security specialist attached to the BBC. Tried to get assistance from a warehouse stocked with medical supplies. “Fill out this form, etc.” The bureaucrats have arrived in Haiti. First time I have been out in daylight hours. Port au Prince is in ruins.”

When the earthquake first hit Haiti, God immediately gave me the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah petitioned the king Artaxerxes to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, which had been destroyed. The enemies Sanballat, Tobiah, and others mocked and taunted Nehemiah and the people that it could never be rebuilt, because it was in ruins.

But with God’s help and the people’s unity and prayer, and by positioning men with their tools in hand, their swords, their spears, and their bows, they got it done. I believe that although the devastation is great in Haiti right now, and it looks impossible and hopeless, God will help the people of Haiti to rebuild it for His glory.

Ray is still working each day at the medical clinic he set up at pastor Jay’s compound, where the offices and the school are located. Please pray for God to bust through all the government red tape, and to supply the people’s continual urgent needs of water, food, and medical supplies. 

Shawn had to leave Haiti yesterday to fly home.  Ray will be there at least several more days to a week.  He’s not sure exactly when he is coming home.  Today I met with the editor of our local newspaper to do a story on Ray’s mission work there.  Please continue to keep Ray, pastor Jay, and the people of Haiti in prayer for God’s protection, encouragement, and blessings. God hears our voices on behalf of this devastated nation.

“Now the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty two days.  And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes, for they preceived that this work was done by our God.”  ~ Nehemiah 6:15-16

To donate to Ray’s medical mission work in Haiti for pastor Jay Threadgill, please click here.

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The waiting is the hardest: 6.1 aftershock in Haiti

January 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Pile of rubble in streets of Haiti

This morning our daughter Heather phoned me to let me know that her husband Kyle had called her as he was driving to work, and told her there was a magnitude -6.1 earthquake aftershock about 6 a.m. today in Haiti.  I encouraged her that God has his hand on Ray, Shawn and pastor Jay, and prayed. 

Since then I have tried numerous times to call and text message Ray on his cell phone, and I just get his voice mail. It’s likely he has no service there. I also emailed him and checked his Facebook status throughout the day. Even in normal circumstances, Haiti’s internet service is unpredictable.

So I wait, and I pray. The waiting is the hardest.  I feel a peace, and believe they are okay.

I will give you an update as soon as I hear something. Meanwhile, please continue to pray for God to supply water, food, and medical supplies to the people devastated by the earthquake and for their protection.

I am so concerned over the lack of supplies and sufficient medical care, the way the dead bodies are being thrown into mass graves with no dignity at all, and over all the amputations being done on people who only have broken bones, for the reason of “infection.”  No, I am not there and am certainly not an M.D., but it alarms me. It seems amputations are being done so quickly and recklessly.

I am praying there will be no more aftershocks or earthquakes, for violence and murder to cease, for speedy healing of the people who are injured, for God’s protection over everyone there, and for supplies to get immediately in there to aid the Haitian people and the workers.

Thank you for your continual prayers. I am going to bed now, resting in Psalm 23:2, “He leads me beside the still waters; He restores my soul.”  Hopefully I will hear from Ray tonight or tomorrow.

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Safe in Haiti!

January 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Car in rubble in Haiti

My husband Ray and his friend Shawn are now on the ground safely, in Haiti!  Praise God their plane was not turned away by officials in Haiti and was not re-routed to the Dominican Republic, like so many planes have been the last several days! 

Originally, they were supposed to take a plane to Haiti today at 1 p.m., with a large number of doctors on board to give medical relief. However, plans quickly changed. Ray called me about 10 a.m. this morning, and said he was at the airport, about to get on another plane in one hour -a plane carrying food relief to Haiti.  The plane he was supposed to go on originally was not leaving at 1 p.m. after all, so he was getting on a different plane.  He was rushed so I couldn’t get any other details!

Please keep them in prayer. I appreciate it so much and will keep you posted.  Leah (our daughter) and I just prayed for Ray’s, Shawn’s, and pastor Jay’s protection.  I’m going to fold some laundry now, listen to some audios, then head to bed - expecting to hear some more exciting news from Haiti tomorrow morning! 

Here’s Ray’s Facebook post, updated several hours ago:

“On the ground in Haiti. Gotta love the news networks. “The American Military is in charge of the airport.” FYI: All six Airforce security personnel say hi. Commercial flight was cancelled, but got flown in on private executive jet. Walked right into the country without even a passport check. Compound is presently secure, but have gangs probing our perimeter. The devastation is unreal.”

If you wish to donate to this mission trip to give practical help to the people of Haiti, here is the link to Ray’s medical/security missions organization, SEMSAR.   http://www.semsar.org/rescue/Donate/tabid/76/Default.aspx

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Funny how God works

January 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment

U.S. Army 82nd Airborne military personnel on ground in Port-A-Prince, Haiti in front of the national palace – sent in for reinforcements for security.

It’s funny how God works.  Last night my husband Ray and his friend Shawn made it safely to Miami, and all their bags with the medical equipment got checked okay,  praise God!  They even had favor with the airline for their heavy bag of medical equipment, which was overweight. The airline employee said to them, ”Hmmm….the scale must be broken!” and let it go, without them having to pay the extra fee (she knew they were going to Haiti for a medical mission!) Then this morning Ray called me from Miami to say that the relief plane scheduled to go out at 1 p.m. today from Miami to Haiti was not going, after all!

Not sure what the deal was, as he couldn’t talk long. He was at the airport, rushed, with him getting on another plane in an hour. It is a jet carrying six people to Haiti who are going to do food distribution there. Through a friend, God brought these people across Ray’s and Shawn’s path after Ray and Shawn found out that the plane they were supposed to leave on had a change in plans and wasn’t going to Haiti at 1 p.m.

I have no doubt that God is up to something good and that this is a divine appointment.  I am praying that Haiti and U.S. officials are not turning this jet away from Haiti and are not re-routing it (the airport has a bottleneck, with relief planes having trouble getting into Haiti to bring food, water, and medical supplies). I’m  expectantly waiting to hear any minute that they are now safely in Haiti. 

For those who have not yet read my blogs on this trip, Ray and Shawn  are doing a medical and security mission to assist pastor Jay Threadgill of Fishers Of Men Interenational.  The situation is just desperate, and the violence is increasing, so please keep them all in your prayers. I am anticipating God to do incredible things on this trip!

For those who would like to give to practical and much needed help to Haiti, the Paypal Donate button is now working on Ray’s SEMSAR website, thanks to our great, computer geek son-in-law Kyle!  This missions trip has been funded out of our own pockets and through SEMSAR.   Here is the link.

I will keep you posted on their trip!  Thanks for all your prayers!

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Haiti’s devastation, from pastor Jay

January 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Haiti’s National Palace – which houses national offices and is the Haitian president’s residence - is now destroyed.

Today I found out from friends at our former church that our pastor friend Jay Threadgill and his daughter Taina are alive and okay in Haiti, as well as most of his church staff, praise God! Pastor Jay’s wife Linda is in the U.S., safe.

Pastor Jay says that Haiti is devastated. Markets, banks, houses, and banks have collapsed, and death is everywhere.  Medical attention is desperately needed. The first day, he tried to help dig out bodies buried alive.  Some people are still trapped alive, underneath the rubble.

Pastor Jay’s church will need rebuilding. Pastor Jay’s school is damaged but repairable (broken glass, broken computers, etc.). The school’s soccer field has been turned into a tent city, and they’re going to begin feeding people today, with prayers that there are no riots.  They have a limited amount of food.

He is planning a possible open air church service soon, so people can gather together, pray, and encourage each other.

The greatest needs are food, water, fuel, medical assistance, and finances. He believes the port and customs are probably closed right now, but heard reports that a hospital ship and aircraft carrier may be in today.

From reading Fox news today, the entire world is responding to this crisis.  U.S. troops, ships, and supplies are either in Haiti already or are on their way, joining with other international relief efforts.  Fox news reported this today:

“The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft carrier, is on its way and expected to arrive on Friday. The ship is carrying 19 helicopters and has several dozen hospital beds, three operating rooms and a water purification system on board. Two-thousand Marines are also leaving for Haiti on an amphibious assault ship equipped with disaster relief supplies and hovercrafts that can operate on land and water. Three-thousand troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne will begin arriving Thursday. And the hospital ship USNS Comfort is expected to arrive by Jan. 22. It is equipped with 250 hospital beds and 12 operating rooms.”

I emailed pastor Jay today to let him know that Ray and I are praying fervently for him, his family, and all their needs, and are going to send financial help.  If you would like to contribute financially to pastor Jay, here is his website, Fishers of Men International-Haiti. His church’s email is Info@FOMHAITI.org.

Please keep them and the people of Haiti in your prayers.  My heart was going out to them today seeing the graphic news. Some of the people with head injuries and other injuries can’t even be operated on yet, and many people are homeless. There is nowhere to put the dead bodies (which may be up to hundreds of thousands), so people are piling them on the streets. One of the greatest risks now is disease from the dead bodies, unclean water, etc.  People are frightened and traumatized. 

But what satan intended for evil, God is going to turn around and use for His good and His glory.  (Genesis 50:20-21)

Here are numerous You Tube videoes showing the devastation and the needs. (Some are graphic.)

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Pray for those in Haiti

January 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

By now many of you have heard of the magnitude -7.0 earthquake that hit Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday.  The pictures and videoes on the news are awful and heart-breaking.  According to Fox news online, Haitians are piling dead bodies on the streets.  Thousands of buildings and homes have collapsed, trapping people. 

Fox news says that President Rene Preval believes thousands of people are dead from this earthquake; the Red Cross says that up to a third of Haiti’s 9 million population may need emergency help.

“Parliament has collapsed. The tax office has collapsed. Schools have collapsed. Hospitals have collapsed.  There are a lot of schools that have a lot of dead people in them,” President Preval told the Miami Herald (Fox news).

Haiti has a special place in my heart. My husband Ray has made three different missions trips to Haiti, teaching security techniques to bodyguards at the compound  of pastor Jay Threadgill, pastor of Fishers of Men International-Haiti.

On Ray’s third trip to Haiti, I went with him, teaching preschoolers at pastor Jay’s Christian school compound. Haiti is one of the poorest Third World nations in the world, and it was an eye-opening and heart-breaking experience.  Yet God is doing amazing things there through pastor Jay’s work!

Please keep the people of Haiti, and especially pastor Jay and his family, his church, and his school in your prayers.  For more information on how you can help, contact pastor Jay at Info@FOMHAITI.org and to help with emergency relief contact these oraganizations.

The video below is a little graphic, but shows some of Haiti’s devastation. Lord Jesus, please help them.

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